The creators of Drug Dealer Simulator accused the game's publisher of unfair practices. In response, the publisher demanded $1.2 million from the studio's head

A conflict has erupted between the Polish studio Byterunners and the publisher Movie Games, potentially escalating into a legal battle. The developers of the Drug Dealer Simulator duology have claimed that the publisher is violating their rights and not paying sufficient royalties.

• Rafał Pęcherzewski, head of Byterunners, gave an interview to Puls Biznesu. He acknowledged that the studio initially signed an unfavorable agreement with Movie Games, agreeing to a small share of the sales revenue from the games. However, at the time, due to a lack of experience, the team was not concerned. Even so, both Drug Dealer Simulator games generated good income, and for many years, there were no disagreements with Movie Games.
• According to Pęcherzewski, the relationship between Byterunners and Movie Games began to deteriorate in the spring of 2025 when the publisher suspected that the game Schedule I was plagiarizing Drug Dealer Simulator and launched an investigation—something the studio opposed. Amid the online commotion, sales of Drug Dealer Simulator 2 significantly dropped.
• At that time, Byterunners was working on console versions of their games. At some point, Pęcherzewski claims, Movie Games suggested adding more content to them without increasing either the budget or the timeline. The company allegedly threatened to strip the studio of its console sales royalties if it did not agree.
• The parties could not reach an amicable agreement, and in mid-August, Byterunners sent an official letter to Movie Games with several demands. They urged the publisher to pay “several hundred thousand zlotys” for additional work on Drug Dealer Simulator 2 and to increase the royalties to 40%—from sales on both consoles and PCs.
• Byterunners believes it has the right to demand increased payments due to Polish legislation, which includes a “bestseller clause” allowing for additional compensation requests. This clause was used by writer Andrzej Sapkowski in 2018 in a dispute with CD PROJEKT over The Witcher series royalties.
• Movie Games has already called the developers’ claims unfounded. Furthermore, it has demanded that Pęcherzewski compensate it 4.5 million zlotys (1.2 million dollars) for the poor condition of Drug Dealer Simulator 2.